All sides endorse Mazier’s internet bill in committee

Conservative MP Dan Mazier’s private member’s bill on internet service quality metrics got a smooth ride in the House of Commons industry committee on Monday. MPs from all parties backed the bill and all the witnesses who appeared before the panel spoke in favour of the legislation, known as Bill C-288. Their only quibble was that in some respects the proposed act does not go far enough. All of the witnesses remarked on internet service providers advertising a maximum speed and then not delivering on it. Reza Rajabiun is a telecom expert who was appearing as an individual. “It’s relevant to note that concerns about gaps between advertised and actual speeds certain providers deliver have come before the CRTC for at least a decade in my recollection,” he told the MPs. “The CRTC has however been reluctant to take on the issue. Notably in the development of the CRTC’s 2019 internet code the CRTC explicitly excluded advertised speeds and service quality issues from the scope of the discussions.” Josée Thibault, assistant commissioner at the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS), said many consumers do not understand what speeds they are receiving from their ISPs. The commission will often get people a better deal by readjusting plans to lower speed offerings. If a person has contracted to get 125 Megabits per second (Mbps) but is only getting 25 Mbps, the CCTS will negotiate a contract that provides for up to 50 Mbps, usually at a lower price. “Quality of service is the most frequently raised problem by internet customers, accounting for about 17 per cent of all internet problems raised last year,” she told the committee. CCTS commissioner Howard Maker said that 90 per cent of the cases that come before it are resolved within 30 days. He painted a bright picture if C-288 passes. “In our work we regularly see complaints that arise when customers think they’re buying something but wind up getting something different,” Maker said. “Disclosure of service metrics may help to avoid this.” Under questioning from Conservative industry critic Rick Perkins, the commissioner agreed that his group often sees people being offered one rate and receiving a lesser service instead. That is when the commission will seek to rerate the plans. Erin Knight is the senior campaigner for OpenMedia, a lobby group. She also endorsed the bill. “When you sign up for an internet plan you deserve to know what you’re paying for before you pay and this legislation will make it so,” she asserted. “At the end of the day it’s about truth and transparency.” In February Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduced new policy directives to the CRTC. Knight feels Mazier’s bill will augment those proposals. “The new CRTC policy direction on its own will not address the broadband speed advertising issue at hand that we’re discussing,” she stated. “As a regulatory framework, the policy direction doesn't go far enough without a corresponding legislative application which this bill in particular will provide. That’s why C-288 in my opinion is complementary to the policy direction and not contradictory to it.” The directions apply to future decisions, not current ones, she added. The CRTC does not have any proceedings on broadband speeds before it at present, she said. Rajabiun said a class action lawsuit is being filed in Manitoba against some ISPs for deceptive practices. The case may not be certified because the advertising stipulates that what is being presented are maximum speeds, not guaranteed speeds. Knight supported that argument, saying the details were hidden in the fine print. The OpenMedia representative told Conservative committee member Ryan Williams that the bill is necessary. He asked her about the proliferation of small independent ISPs being bought out by larger players. She admitted it was a concern. Last month Cogeco Inc. announced that it had purchased Oxio, months after BCE Inc. bought EBox and purchased Distributel. In 2022, Quebecor Inc. took over VMedia. In January Telus Corp. acquired independent ISPs Start.ca and at the same time revealed that it had acquired Altima Telecom in June 2022. “Reduction of competition is a huge, huge problem,” Knight stated. All of the witnesses agreed that service levels in rural and remote areas are poorer than in urban locales. Knight told Williams that those areas are “absolutely” affected the most and that ISPs are denying citizens an essential service. Rajabiun told Bloc Québécois industry critic Sébastien Lemire that rural zones suffer from inadequate technology. The smaller populations mean there is less incentive to reinvest in broadband networks, the tech expert stated. He also suggested tweaking the legislation. “The bill does not go far enough in terms of enforcement, contractual accountability of suppliers and remedies for consumers who end up not receiving what they are paying for,” Rajabiun opined. Mazier, who tabled his bill last summer, appeared before the committee earlier this month. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

All sides endorse Mazier’s internet bill in committee

News | March 21, 2023

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All sides endorse Mazier’s internet bill in committee

News | March 21, 2023

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